Oxnard, Calif. -- Under cool skies and crisp Pacific breezes, the New Orleans Saints opened up the West Coast portion of their training camp Monday in a natural environment that seemed in striking contrast to the bad football the team played last week in Houston.

Coach Sean Payton said the entire setup was precisely what the Saints need.

"We just practiced for a little bit over two and a half hours and got another 25 percent more done because of the weather," he said. "You just find yourself taking less water breaks, the amount of times you have to break when it's 100 or 95 or when it's 75, it's just different."

The flawless weather also seemed to remove some of the lingering sour taste the Saints had in the bowels of Reliant Stadium after losing 27-14 to the Texans. Quarterback Drew Brees, who spent the team's off-day Sunday watching a surfing contest at a nearby Navy base, said Oxnard presented a sort of distraction-free football Eden.

"Here you eat, sleep, drink and breathe football," Brees said. "And we absolutely needed that at this stage of camp."

The Saints' practice in California mirrored their routine in Metairie, although, as Payton noted, the extra snaps allowed the team additional kickoff return and 2-minute drills. Some of that could have been done back in Louisiana, but Payton said the special needs of camp, when a swollen roster must digest tape viewings, meetings and practice, could no longer be met there.

In Oxnard, the Saints have taken over a Marriott Residence Inn and basically occupy apartment buildings. Consequently, Payton said the team's meals, meetings, practice and living spaces are all within 50 yards of each other, and that proximity, coupled with the superb weather, means the team maximizes its time in ways it could not in Louisiana.

"The logistical trick in Metairie was we didn't have the availability in the hotel we were in with the same setup," he said, referring to the team's occupation of the Hilton near the New Orleans airport. "From a timing standpoint, this provided a week where the climate was different, and it also provided a week where we had the facility and the hotel and the practice fields."

Old stomping ground

Payton was familiar with the Oxnard facility from his days as Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator. The Raiders built the River Ridge fields when they were based in Los Angeles, some two hours south, but they cloaked it in secrecy. Dallas tore that down when it came here, with Payton on the staff, for a portion of its camp, and the town thus is familiar with hosting an NFL franchise during the preseason.

"It's battle-tested a little bit," he said. "And so what that allows is all the people that are involved in putting something like this together have experience in training camp. In other words, they understand what it's like to bring a team here."

Word bouncing around Oxnard this week is the Saints arrival has resurrected the Cowboys' interest in the facility and that, in 2012, the two clubs could find themselves in a bidding war. Payton smiled when asked about that and insisted he knew nothing of such a competition.

But the Saints drew a big and at times boisterous crowd. The club sent out what it thought would be a week's worth of merchandise, only to see it sell out before the first practice began. More stock is being shipped up from Los Angeles. Owner Tom Benson enjoyed his spin around the edge of the field in his golf cart.

"That's the first time at a practice I've ever seen Mr. Benson have to wear a jacket in his golf cart," Payton said. "I think the attitude of the people here, they're excited. And it's something that through reps and through the experience they've had they've figured it out pretty well."

Putting Houston behind them

In particular, the Saints seek this week to regroup defensively after getting shredded by the Texans and stress ball security on offense after losing two fumbles and an interception in Houston.

Standing just yards from a golf tee bathed in soft light and with purple mountains behind him, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams wasted little time Monday impressing the serious nature of the business at hand. The entire defense spent several minutes in punishing up-downs.

On the other field, the offense pushed a running agenda, underscoring elements it had performed well in Houston.

"When you put the tape on, it always kind of brings you back to the middle," Payton said. "Certainly there are some things we're disappointed in that we're going to address and work to correct this week. But there were some things that were good. In the kicking game we're still doing a good job, and in some detail areas some guys are showing up specifically. And today was a day where the whole morning was spent on that tape, addressing the little things. There's a lot to correct off that film, and I thought we did good work on it in the morning and then came out here and really covered some of the things we felt we needed to address from the game."

And, while paradise may beckon all around, Brees said the Saints understand how to take advantage of it rather than allow it to seduce them.

"As hot and humid as it is in New Orleans, you can only go for so long before you're just completely drained," he said. "So with the climate out here you're just able to get more reps while still being on grass instead of having to go inside like we would at home. So it's a little easier on the joints, and yet you can still have a more physical practice.

"And I think in a way you get away from home and you get away from some distractions and you can just hunker down and think about football," Brees added.

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James Varney can be reached at jvarney@timespicayune.com or 504.717.1156.